On the overlap between bilingual language control and domain-general executive control

Branzi, Francesca M.; Calabria, Marco; Boscarino, Maria Lucrezia; Costa, Albert · 2016 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.03.001

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Summary

This study investigates the cognitive overlap between bilingual language control (bLC) and domain-general executive control (EC), specifically focusing on inhibitory control mechanisms. While it is widely assumed that bLC utilizes domain-general EC processes, empirical evidence regarding the extent of this overlap remains contradictory. Previous research often relied on n-1 shift costs (the time penalty for switching tasks), which failed to show correlations between linguistic and non-linguistic tasks, suggesting a lack of overlap. However, n-1 shift costs reflect multiple control mechanisms beyond inhibition. To address this, Branzi et al. (2016) examined the n-2 repetition cost, a measure considered a more specific index of inhibitory control, to determine if bLC and EC share the same inhibitory processes. The researchers tested 62 early, high-proficient Catalan-Spanish bilinguals using two distinct switching tasks administered on separate days. The linguistic task required participants to name pictures in one of three languages (Catalan, Spanish, or English) based on visual cues. The non-linguistic task required classifying visual stimuli by type, size, or color. Both tasks allowed for the calculation of n-1 shift costs and n-2 repetition costs. The study analyzed reaction times (RTs) and error rates, and employed ex-Gaussian analysis to decompose RT distributions into normal (μ) and exponential (τ) components, providing a finer-grained view of cognitive processing. Results revealed distinct patterns of inhibitory control between the two domains. In the linguistic task, the n-1 shift cost was significantly larger than the n-2 repetition cost, suggesting that minimal inhibition was deployed when switching languages. Conversely, in the non-linguistic task, the n-1 shift and n-2 repetition costs were comparable in magnitude, indicating stronger inhibitory control. Crucially, neither the n-1 shift costs nor the n-2 repetition costs correlated between the linguistic and non-linguistic tasks. Ex-Gaussian analysis further supported these findings, showing that switch costs in the linguistic task were driven primarily by the exponential component (τ), whereas non-linguistic costs involved both normal and exponential components. These findings suggest that inhibitory control is differently involved in bLC and domain-general EC. The lack of correlation between linguistic and non-linguistic switch costs, particularly the n-2 repetition cost, indicates that bilinguals do not rely on the same inhibitory mechanisms for language control as they do for general executive tasks. This challenges the assumption of a substantial functional overlap between bLC and EC regarding inhibition and contributes to the ongoing debate concerning the reliability of bilingual advantages in executive control.

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Topics

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• task switching
• executive function